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[Spenser]

I don't really watch Kevin either, but he leaves himself out in the open. You know how he rides, you've seen any progression, etc. Maybe he doesn't explicitly come forth with the fact that he gets paid by Clew to ride them, but whatever. He seems like a nice guy.

And while it's not that I specifically care about reviews, I do like watching content. I think TJ does a really good job, and is also fully transparent. His riding level is surely enough to hold weight in the industry, and they're individual to each board, as opposed to churning out repetitive bullshit. But of course, the angry cult finds a way to dismiss him. Main thing that comes to mind is multiple comments saying he's too positive, and never really critical of a board. Pretty sure that's a whole lot better than some dude upholding a nonsense facade & persona, saying the same thing about every product, who can't back it up.

[bboytommy]

How do we feel about Casey Willax's style of content?

[g3greg]

I’m gonna disagree with the masses here and say you absolutely do not need to be a high level rider to review snowboards for the majority of people who are actually checking YouTube for reviews. As long as they can give me something beyond specs, I’m stoked, and you take it with a grain of salt. I’ll add that anyone with the cajones to put themselves out there on YouTube has my respect, especially those who are trying to make a living because that shit is not easy.

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… unless it’s Angry. Not a fan of the ego.

[Spenser]

I’m gonna disagree with the masses here and say you absolutely do not need to be a high level rider to review snowboards for the majority of people who are actually checking YouTube for reviews. As long as they can give me something beyond specs, I’m stoked, and you take it with a grain of salt. I’ll add that anyone with the cajones to put themselves out there on YouTube has my respect, especially those who are trying to make a living because that shit is not easy.

I wholly agree with the sentiment that you don't have to be particularly skilled to have an opinion and share what you think of a product. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. That would be like me talking about bikes. But if I acted like a dick for years, pushing the "I know better than everyone" persona, and essentially telling anyone who questions me to fuck off, you would probably want to know if the guy with thousands of reviews and a large cult-like following has any credibility, who you've never even seen use the products.

As soon as you bring ego into the picture, it just doesn't fly. I think that's the bottom line for me. This is why angry is the only one receiving our criticism. It's not simply "are you good enough to share your opinion."

To be clear, if any of the other prominent reviewers were to develop an ego - even though they show themselves riding in every video - they would also receive criticism. At least they wouldn't be running a facade.

[kimchi]

Yep. I'm not a TGR fan, but respect to them for putting themselves out there. They can't snowboard for shit but neither can most people who consume reviews. I don't care for Kevin and what he means for the media ecosystem, but whatever he does his thing.

But fuck Angry, his aggro bullshit, and his ego. Been pulling that horseshit since he was el_snowboardo back in the snowboard.com days. He was their Doc. You'd expect some growth in ~20 years but I ain't seen it lmao.

[michaelangelo]

vailsucksguy, the custom x and antler are totally different boards on snow. Just a heads up. And like others have already said, there are so many good brands and decks out there. I enjoy a lot of Burton boards, but if you can, you should definitely check out a demo day at a resort near you if possible. Try to get in with a local shop and attend a test-fest or similar.

[Spenser]

How do we feel about Casey Willax's style of content?

I've never cared for vlog content, so I'm out from the start – but it's undeniable that the dude is a legit snowboarder (unrelated to youtube) and I respect him.

A super easy example… you're never going to see just about any other "youtuber" on the bombhole. However, wow would I love to see angry on there

[eleveneightnate]

I've said it before, but I'd rather watch 10 high quality, long-form, footage-laden reviews from TJ per season than 100 reviews from Angry generically saying "you're not gonna have to worry about it" for every single data point on every board.

If Angry rides 100+ days a season like he claims, it would be impossible for him to A) not progress, and B) not want to film that progression and share it with people because it feels good and also backs up his credibility. The "i don't have time" thing is likely just a coput for his lack of ability and associated lack of riding. I truly don't believe he rides all of those boards and bindings because everything he says about them is so generic and formulaic. Anyone can stand in front of a camera and say "it does snowboard things" and "it's middle of the road" and get away with it with the masses.

Side note: the best snowboard vlogger is still Liam Stevens IMO.

[Spenser]

Load, pop, snap & drive, baby.